Animal gun-trap



F. E. DAVENPORT.

ANIMAL GUN TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.Iz. 1917.

1,347,255; PaIenIeaJuIy 2o, 1920.

1arl- I l. v

ff FEW/1jaar# a UNITED.,s'm'rsv PATENT OFFICE.

Y FLoY-E. DAVENPORT,l or CALLAWAY, NEBRASKA.

i ANIMAL GUN-TRAP. f

To all whom may concern.'

Be it known that I, FLoY E. DAVENPORT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Callaway, in the county ofCuster, State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful AnimalGun-Trap; and I do hereby declare lthe following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersVskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to gopher guns and i the like and has for itsobject to provide a gun of this character comprising a pivotal gunbarrel pivotally movable in a vertical plane and pivoted at a pointintermediate its ends, said barrel being `provided with abreech adaptedto move into registration with a block provided with a firing pin, alsoto provide springl detent means for holding said gun in firing position,said detent means comprising a spring arm having a lug which lugcoperates with the periphery of the breech end of the gun and anaperture in saidv breech.

A further object is to so position the spring arm carried lug and theaperture in the gun barrel so that the ygun barrel will be held in ahorizontal position.

ln practical fields the details of construction may necessitatealterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts ashereinafter set forth shown in the drawings and claimed.

ln the drawings y Figure 1 is a view in plan of the improved animal guntrap constructed in accordance with the invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear view. Fig. 4 is asectional view on line 4 4 l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fim 1.

`Beferring more especially to the drawings 1V designates a base,upwardly from which, a breech block 2 extends. Forwardly of the breechblock, a U-shaped bracket3 Vis secured by screws 4 to the base 1.Between thev arms of said U-shaped bracket and on the pin 5 a transverselug 6 of a gun barrel 7l is rockably mounted. The gun barrel, thereforemay be tilted, so that its forward end Awill lower and its cartridgereceiving end will raise. A conventional form of firing pin 8 is mountedin the breech block,

- Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted July 20, 192() ApplicationVv'lled October 12, 1917. Serial No. 196,142.

.. whereby its rear end may protrude beyond the rear face of the blocknormally. The U-shaped bracket is arranged with relation to the breechblock, whereby the gun barrel end portion (which is provided with an inlwardly extending lug 12) may engage the side of the gun barrel, wherebythe lug 12 may enter a depression 13 of the barrel, to hold the barrelaxially in alinement with the firing pin, when firing a cartridge. Toremove the shell the thumb of the operator engages the curved endportion 14 of the arm 9, springing the arm outwardly, so as to disengagethe lug from the depression. The forward end of the barrel is thentilted downwardly, the cartridgeY receiving end consequently rises,whereby the shell may be extracted. A bell crank detent 15 is pivotally-mounted on a post 16. One arm of this bell crank detent has alaterally extending lug forming a shoulder 17, and to the extremity ofthe other arm of said detent, one end of a rod 18 (which is mounted in aguide eye 19 of an upstanding rod 20) is pivotally connected. rIheforward end of the rod 18 has a head member 21. Pivoted upon a post 22by means of a screw 23 is a lever 24, which is so arranged that its endportion 25 may engage the shoulder 17. By means ofthe bell crank detent,the lever 24 is heldV away from and out of contact with the firing pin,against the action or tension of the spring 26, one end of which isconnected at 27 to the lever 24, and its other end to a post 28, whichrises upwardly from the base 1. A signal member is pivoted by means of ascrew 29 on a post 30, and its tail end 31 engages a lug 32 of the lever24. A spring 33 has one end connected at 34 to the pivoted leg of thesignal, and its other end vto a pin 35 which rises upwardly from the Vally aline vith thering pin. The lever 9A is strikeandrkill the animal.

' 29k is actuatedY by the spring 2G, the signa-l is released', and bymeans of the spring 33,.'t'heV then set so as to be held outotl contactWith l the ring pin by the bell lcrank detent, andthe signal arranged.The trap islthen ready for use for killing burroiving animals, such' asgophers and moles. Themound of earth" at a proper location ofthe vpath'ot-the ani;4

mal (gopher) is excavated suiciently, to

permit the animal gun trap to be introduced in the excavation, the trapset, and the vbarrel of theV gun arranged 1n alinement with the burrow,and also the head member 21 partially inthe path of the animal which maypass lalong theburrow. Then the animal comes in contact with the headmember 2l, the rod 18 is actuated sofas `to tilt the-bell crank'detent'on its pivot, releasing the lever avhich, under the action of theVspring 26 is svvung forwardly to Contact with the firing pin. Thecartridge isthen fired, and

being thatY thebarrel is in alinement with the burrow, the projectileWillk consequently Then the lever leg of the signal is thrown inAcontact with the abutment lug 37, in which casevthe sig-V nal is thendisposed to indicate that the trap has been sprung. Y Y

' Theinvention liavinglbeen Vset forthV What V3 1s claimed as new anduseful is:-

In an'anim'al trap,afbase provided With w an iipstanding breech block, afiring Apin in Y'said' breech block, a pair of spaced trunnions mountedon the base, a gun barreltiltahly pi'vot'ed Tvbetween said trunnions,and? having its axisin horizontalralinement with the `firing pin, arecess in one'side 'of the gun barrel 1n the rear of the trunnions,aspringarm` rising upwardly from fthe base, -said spring will be engagedbythe` converged surfacel of the gunrbarrel and lcam ,overl said untilit springsinto the recess.:k l Y K v In testimony .vhereofl have signedmy name to this specification in the presence of tivo subscribing`Witnesses.

frLoYv n. nAvENroRr Witnesses: i Y Y Y' A.VVV. DAVENPORT, W. HgSTAIRsfsurface i y 5

